Seeing People as Jesus Sees Them

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus Stops for the Tree-Climber

Jesus noticed Zacchaeus perched in a sycamore tree—a wealthy man stripped of dignity, ignored by crowds, yet desperate to see Him. While others saw only a corrupt tax collector, Jesus saw a heart ready to receive grace. He didn’t wait for Zacchaeus to prove himself or apologize. Instead, He invited Himself into the man’s home, disrupting social norms and religious expectations. This moment reveals how Jesus prioritizes those society deems unworthy. His eyes still stop for the ones hiding in shame today. [49:50]

“Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus… When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.’” (Luke 19:1, 5 NIV)

Reflection: When have you felt overlooked like Zacchaeus? How might Jesus’ intentional stop for you reshape your view of His love?

Day 2: When the Crowd Mutters, Grace Speaks Louder

The townspeople grumbled when Jesus chose Zacchaeus—a “sinner”—over their religious leaders. Their whispers exposed hearts that valued reputation over redemption. Yet Jesus’ actions drowned out their judgment, proving grace isn’t earned by merit or public approval. His choice to dine with the undeserving still challenges our biases today. True love disrupts social hierarchies to restore the broken. [51:02]

“All the people saw this and began to mutter, ‘He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.’” (Luke 19:7 NIV)

Reflection: Where might you be muttering judgments instead of extending grace? Who needs you to defend them as Jesus did Zacchaeus?

Day 3: From Thief to Generous Host

Zacchaeus’ sudden generosity shocked everyone. After encountering Jesus, he pledged half his wealth to the poor and quadruple restitution to those he’d cheated. Grace didn’t just forgive his past—it unleashed a new future. Jesus’ love transforms grubby hands that once clutched money into open hands ready to give. True repentance always bears fruit in tangible acts of restoration. [52:27]

“Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord! Here and now I give half my possessions to the poor, and if I cheated anybody, I will pay back four times the amount.’” (Luke 19:8 NIV)

Reflection: What practical step could you take today to show grace has changed you, not just forgiven you?

Day 4: No Outcasts in God’s Family Tree

Jesus declared Zacchaeus a “son of Abraham”—not because of lineage, but faith. The man everyone crossed off became part of God’s eternal family. No one is too far gone, too isolated, or too labeled to be excluded. God’s table stretches beyond human categories, welcoming all who respond to His invitation. Our belonging comes through Christ’s yes, not others’ approval. [59:39]

“Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’” (Luke 19:9-10 NIV)

Reflection: Who do you struggle to imagine at God’s table? How does Zacchaeus’ story challenge those limits?

Day 5: Seeing the Hidden Worth in ‘Hopeless’ Cases

The crowd saw Zacchaeus as a lost cause. Jesus saw a redeemed leader. Where others noticed greed, He spotted generosity waiting to erupt. Christ looks beyond present failures to future kingdom impact. When we dismiss people as “too far gone,” we deny God’s power to rewrite stories. Every “grill” carries divine potential waiting to be unlocked by grace. [01:03:23]

“Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called… But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-27 NIV)

Reflection: Who have you labeled as beyond hope? Ask God to show you their hidden worth through His eyes.

Sermon Summary

The grill image names the people who feel misspelled, shoved aside, crossed off, and left wondering, “What about us grills?” Luke 19 brings that question to Jericho, where Jesus meets Zacchaeus, a rich chief tax collector who had plenty of money but no real place in the crowd. Zacchaeus wants to see who Jesus is, but his short body and his bad reputation keep him outside the mainstream, so he runs ahead and climbs a sycamore tree, putting aside dignity just to get a look.

Jesus reaches the spot and does what nobody in Jericho would have guessed. Jesus looks up, calls him by name, and says, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I’m going to stay in your house today.” Jesus does not choose the town fathers, the religious leaders, or the respectable people. Jesus chooses the man everybody mutters about, the sinner whose hand had been in their pockets.

Luke lets the muttering crowd show how shocking grace really is. Jesus goes to the house of the one they had crossed off, and Zacchaeus stands up changed. Zacchaeus offers half his possessions to the poor and promises fourfold restitution to anyone he cheated. Jesus names what has happened: “Today salvation has come to this house,” because the Son of Man came “to seek and to save the lost.”

The Jericho episode shows that people who do not seem to matter to others matter deeply to Jesus. Jesus seeks out the person in the tree just as he stops for the blind beggar on the road. God’s grace does not rest on credentials, appearance, status, usefulness, pedigree, or how well a person fits into a room. God’s grace sees image-bearers, even when other people see only awkwardness, failure, sin, or shame.

The word “lost” means being in the wrong place, and Jesus brings Zacchaeus into the right place by faith. Zacchaeus becomes a true son of Abraham, not merely by birth, but by trusting Jesus. The same invitation opens to Jews and Gentiles, slaves and free, men and women, the comfortable and the beaten down.

God’s grace also sees hidden potential. Jericho saw a hopeless scoundrel, but Jesus saw what Zacchaeus could become. The Spirit of Jesus still passes by people who feel misspelled and says, “You matter to me. I have a place for you in my family. You have great potential to make a difference in this world for God.”

Key Takeaways

1. Misspelled lives still matter deeply Jesus does not accept the crowd’s spelling of a person’s life. The grill image gives language to those who feel crossed off, awkward, unwanted, or pushed where they did not want to go. God’s grace begins by seeing a person before fixing a person, and that kind of seeing restores dignity before it calls for change. [54:39]
2. Jesus stops for the crossed-off Jesus does not merely pass beneath the tree and notice Zacchaeus in passing. Jesus stops, calls him by name, and enters the place where shame had settled into his life. The initiative belongs to grace, and that means the unwanted person is not required to force a way into mercy. [49:50]
3. Grace creates real restitution Zacchaeus does not treat acceptance as permission to stay crooked. The grace of Jesus moves him toward costly honesty, public repentance, and concrete repair. Restitution becomes the fruit of salvation, not the price paid to earn it. [52:07]
4. Lost means the wrong place The word “lost” does not merely mean confused or emotionally low. It means spiritually out of place, trusting pedigree, religion, goodness, status, or self instead of Jesus. The good news is that the Son of Man seeks the person in the wrong place and brings that person home by faith. [60:00]
5. Grace sees hidden potential Jericho saw Zacchaeus as a hopeless robber baron, but Jesus saw what he could become. Grace looks past the rough exterior without pretending the sin is harmless. Such seeing makes a person kinder, less fearful, and more ready to reach out instead of recoiling in disgust. [65:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[40:08] - The Question Of The Grills
[42:23] - People Who Feel Misspelled
[44:33] - Jesus Meets Zacchaeus
[45:57] - A Despised Chief Tax Collector
[47:32] - Zacchaeus Climbs The Tree
[49:50] - Jesus Calls Him By Name
[51:02] - The Crowd Begins To Mutter
[52:07] - Zacchaeus Makes Restitution
[54:39] - People Matter To Jesus
[59:16] - Invited Into God’s Family
[63:06] - Hidden Potential In Jesus
[67:42] - The Spirit Of Jesus Passes By
[71:13] - What About Us Grills?

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
Luke 19:1–10 (ESV)
1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. 3 And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Observation Questions

What practical steps did Zacchaeus take to see Jesus, and what does this reveal about his desire? (Luke 19:3–4)
How did Jesus’ choice to stay with Zacchaeus challenge the expectations of the crowd? (Luke 19:5–7)
What specific actions did Zacchaeus take after encountering Jesus, and how did Jesus interpret those actions? (Luke 19:8–9)
In the sermon, how did the crowd’s view of Zacchaeus contrast with Jesus’ view of him? [51:44]

Interpretation Questions

Why might Jesus’ decision to call Zacchaeus by name and enter his home have been so transformative for Zacchaeus? (Luke 19:5)
The crowd grumbled that Jesus associated with a “sinner.” What does this reveal about their understanding of grace versus Jesus’ mission? (Luke 19:7, 10)
Zacchaeus’ restitution involved giving half his wealth to the poor and repaying fourfold. Why is this response a sign of genuine salvation rather than a way to earn it? (Luke 19:8–9)
The sermon emphasized that “lost” means being in the wrong spiritual place. How does Jesus’ definition of “lost” differ from how society might define it? [01:00:20]

Application Questions

When have you felt like a “grill”—misspelled, overlooked, or pushed aside? How does Jesus’ response to Zacchaeus reshape how you view your own worth? [42:23]
Jesus stopped intentionally for Zacchaeus. Who in your life might feel “in the tree” or on the margins, and how could you intentionally show them they matter?
Zacchaeus made costly amends for his wrongdoing. Is there a relationship or situation where you need to take steps toward restitution or repair, even if it’s uncomfortable? [52:27]
The sermon mentioned Jesus seeing “hidden potential” in people others dismiss. Who do you struggle to see potential in, and how could you pray for or encourage them this week? [01:05:27]
How can the truth that salvation comes through grace—not pedigree, status, or good works—free you from striving to earn God’s approval?
The crowd muttered about Jesus’ grace toward Zacchaeus. When have you been tempted to judge others as “unworthy” of God’s love? How can you combat that attitude?

Sermon Clips

57s

#GraceForEveryone

“``Jesus treats people with grace. Jesus attracts those who are out of the mainstream, shoved out of life, whose names are crossed off and misspelled. And god's grace is not dependent upon what we have done or haven't done with our lives. Our significance in god's eyes does not depend on what we do or what we produce or what our credentials are or what our pedigree is, or how good looking we are, or how articulate we are, or how well known by people we are. We are important to God because we are made in his image, because he loves us so much that he sent Jesus, and because he's a God of grace and mercy.”

67s

#JesusIsSeekingYou

“Regardless of how you view yourself, if you've not received the grace of God by giving your life to Jesus, by placing all of your confidence in him instead of yourself or in your possessions or in your position, then according to the scriptures, you're in the wrong place, spiritually, apart from god. But the good news is Jesus is here. He's seeking you out. You matter to him. He has a place for you and his family. You have great potential to make more difference in this world than you ever dreamed of. Jesus is stopping by you and saying, hey, come on down. I wanna come to your house today. Will you let him in? Will you invite him in?”

55s

#JesusChoosesOutcasts

“Out of all the people that Jesus could have chosen to spend time with in Jericho, he didn't choose the town fathers. He didn't choose the religious leaders. He chose Zacchaeus, perhaps the most despised person in the crowd that day. You know, if they had taken a poll in Jericho prior to Jesus' arrival and asked, who do you think Jesus is gonna spend time with here in Jericho? Nobody would have voted for Zacchaeus. And Jesus did more than just stop and say, Zacchaeus, hi. Glad you came out today. He invited himself to Zacchaeus' house. He went to the house of the little girl who fit in nowhere.”

63s

#SeeHiddenPotential

“People had written off Zacchaeus as a hopeless case when it came to anything spiritual or good. That is everyone but Jesus. Jesus saw Zacchaeus. He saw the potential that he could have as a follower of Jesus because god sees people differently than we often do. Maybe Jesus saw Zacchaeus as just a rich but lonely man, some kind of rich outcast. Jesus knew all about the poor choices that Zacchaeus had made. He knew all about the bad stuff he had done that caused him to become a pariah with his own people. But Jesus must have seen that behind that rough exterior that Zacchaeus was longing for more in life.”

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Seeing People as Jesus Sees Them

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus Stops for the Tree-Climber

Day 2: When the Crowd Mutters, Grace Speaks Louder

Day 3: From Thief to Generous Host

Day 4: No Outcasts in God’s Family Tree

Day 5: Seeing the Hidden Worth in ‘Hopeless’ Cases

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Seeing People as Jesus Sees Them

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